Fixture: Barcelona 1-2 Rubin Kazan
Venue: Nou Camp (Barcelona home)
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST (Tuesday)
Verdict: This is usual fare for the Champions League, and one we can take full advantage of. A team that nobody has heard of going to the European champions. It's going to be a bloodbath? Well, no, actually. Rubin are a very decent side. They are Russian champions and will be the force in Russia in the not too distant future. Barca have men out thanks to the vagaries of having an entire squad forced to traipse around the world for internationals. They have lost their best striker in Zlatan Ibrahimovic. And while Barcelona will probably win this, they are very unlikely to win by the rather nervous bookies.
Betting Advice: 3pts Rubin Kazan +2.25 at 10/11 (1.91 at Betfair)
Fixture: Olympiakos 2-1 Standard Liege
Venue: Karaiskasis Stadium (Olympiakos home)
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST (Tuesday)
Verdict: I still hold out hopes for Liege's European campaign this season. They let Arsenal back into their first encounter and then failed to finish off AZ Alkmar, but maybe they will find a gift in the Greeks. Olympiakos are a dogged defensive unit and that serves them well away from home but in Athens they are going to have to come out and attack. With talismanic midfielder Luciano Galletti out for this one, they could find goals tough and Standard's outspoken Serbian stiker Milan Jovanovic could nick one at the other end.
Betting Advice: 1pt Liege to win at 4/1 (5.0 generally); 1pt Jovanovic to score first at 10/1 (11.0 at Stan James)
Fixture: CSKA Moscow 0-1 Man Utd
Venue: Luzhniki Stadium (CSKA home)
Kick-off: 2.30pm BST (Wednesday)
Verdict: While CSKA have never travelled well, they are always dangerous at home. And with Man Utd without five first team players (Giggs, Rooney, Fletcher, Evra, jiSung) the English champions could struggle. Add the fact that United have never won in Russia on five attempts and it could be a long, cold trip for United.
Betting Advice: 2pts CSKA to win at 3/1 (4.0 generally)
